A new production of the opera King Roger will open this week. At a time when Europe was charged with fear of the 'Muslim threat', this 12th century king collaborated with an Islamic scholar on an extraordinary project.

A migrant is processed upon arrival in Sicily.
Reuters/Antonio ParrinelloDecember 1, 2015

Thirty lifeless bodies found in the bow of a fishing boat carrying 600 migrants off the coast of Sicily have reignited the debate on illegal crossings in the Mediterranean and how the EU should respond…